Rare bat threatens Weymouth relief road

A tiny and very rare bat could threaten the building of a new relief road in the south west of England. 

A barbastelle bat, which measures just 4.5cm from head to toe, was discovered in a piece woodland called Two Mile Coppice,  next to which the new, proposed highway for Weymouth would run.

But because there is official concern about the species' continued existence in the UK the conservation charity the Woodland Trust is threatening legal action to stop Dorset County Council approving the plan.

The current proposals would see the by-pass built on the edge of the woodland and run parallel to a railway line on a raised embankment.

But because wild bats in the UK are protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act any development that affects their habitat requires a licence from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

However, Dorset County Council said it would still seek a licence. "Even if the bats are there, it does not mean that there will be no relief road," added a spokesperson.